I rode on PATCO once. On a Friday morning. The headways were very long due to the fact they could only use one track over the Delaware. As for PATH, I spent a long time at Hoboken Station several times since trains ran only once an hour.

Just where is the OL single track?

By rb on Fri, 07/31/2015 - 7:08pm.

Seriously, where is the Orange Line single-track? Between Sullivan and Wellington it's actually TRIPLE-tracked, though only two tracks are ever in service.

And with all those hours to do maintenance overnight, how come none of the switch heaters worked last winter? Why was the whole above-ground part snowed in when snow could have been removed overnight? (Oh yeah, the T has no snow removal equipment, unlike Chicago, Toronto, New York, etc.)

I have a strange feeling that few people responsible for rail operations at the MBTA 1) live in a city; 2) use public transit; 3) ever look more than 10 miles for ideas; 4) know how to run a transit system.

I think this means...

By Michael Kerpan on Fri, 07/31/2015 - 8:00pm.

... single track for each direction.

Why didn't the switch heaters work?

By Waquiot on Fri, 07/31/2015 - 10:18pm.

I guess you have never read about the maintenance backlog at the T.

Of course, the SOP in past years was to run a train all night during storms, but they were afraid of losing one of their trains that actually worked.

Herald article is terrible.

By datadyne007 on Fri, 07/31/2015 - 10:37am.

Herald article is terrible. Use the Globe story: http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2015/07/30/wynn-aims-first-company-s...

As part of Wynn Resorts’ efforts to win the blessing of state officials for its $1.7 billion Everett gambling palace, the Nevada company agreed to add extra Orange Line trains during certain hours of the day — a plan that will cost the company nearly $7.5 million over the next 15 years.

...

Wynn anticipates that many of the casino’s 4,000 workers and a portion of its customers would take the Orange Line — even though the casino site in Everett overlooking the Mystic River isn’t within easy walking distance of any station on the line.

Wynn would pay for shuttle buses to pick people up at the Malden Center and Wellington stations and rely on existing MBTA buses to connect with the Sullivan Square station.

There’s also the possibility of a pedestrian bridge over the Mystic linked to the new Assembly Square T stop: Wynn has agreed to spend up to $250,000 to help study the bridge’s feasibility.

...

Wynn is also proposing to help pay for changes to improve the flow of MBTA buses at the Sullivan Square T stop, but it’s the plan to help pay for operating costs that makes Wynn’s plan so unusual.

...

The extra trains would be designed to increase Orange Line frequency during the hours of 9 and 10 a.m. and 7 and 11 p.m. on weekdays. Wynn’s filing suggests the average time between train arrivals would drop from 8 minutes to 5 minutes for the morning shift and from 10 minutes to 7½ minutes for the 7 to 8 p.m. shift.

Transportation spokesman Michael Verseckes said the agency is pleased with Wynn’s Orange Line subsidy proposal: It will help address capacity issues at key times of the day while accommodating the additional ridership expected as a result of the casino’s opening.

A LOT of people walk from

By anon on Fri, 07/31/2015 - 12:20pm.

A LOT of people walk from Wellington to the Target/Costco/Home Depot shopping center, as well as parts of Everett since some bus schedules from Sullivan + Malden suck (and it's quicker to walk 1+ miles than wait 30 minutes).
Couldn't they also do a pedestrian bridge over the Malden River?

I give the Casino 4 years

By bill on Sat, 08/01/2015 - 1:10pm.

I give the Casino 4 years before they go out of business, Casino's are popular among the blue collar population, and blue collar retirees over the age of 60. Young people 20 to 35 year olds in Boston can't even afford to live in Boston, you think these young people are going to spend their money at a casino. 1970s are over!! A casino in this area is like reintroducing back the Ford Pinto to the general public, a car no one would even think about buying.

Do other employers do this?

By Markk02474 on Fri, 07/31/2015 - 10:57am.

Locally or globally? Good for Winn. Would be nice if some universities, hospitals, and larger employers in Boston/Cambridge did more than buy monthly passes.

Rumor is

By cybah on Fri, 07/31/2015 - 10:58am.

Rumor is yes. I can't say the company name but I'm in the know and can't reveal my sources yet.

Well the commuter rail has

By J on Fri, 07/31/2015 - 11:33am.

Well the commuter rail has that special employees only GE stop. Do they pay for it?

Does Kraft pay for the football trains?

Do the Sox pay for special service?

I know in DC, if playoff games for any sport run late, metro asks for someone to put up large bags of cash if they want train service extended.

didn't you learn that from your time in politics?

By bibliotequetressnotloggedin... on Fri, 07/31/2015 - 2:06pm.

BU is supposed to install & maintain many of the B Line stops. UMass picks up most of the tab for the Columbia Point shuttles. I wouldn't doubt that other schools that rely on public transit to navigate their campuses-- like BC-- contribute. Bet you could google it.

Steve Wynn, please build a bridge across the Mystic to Assembly

By Ron Newman on Fri, 07/31/2015 - 11:15am.

Don't just fund a study, fund the construction. If you promise to do this, that will shift me from being neutral about your project to strongly in favor. Connect your casino and hotel directly to the Orange Line, so people can walk to it.

Curtatone would sooner lie

By anon on Fri, 07/31/2015 - 11:48am.

Curtatone would sooner lie down and get squished by the bulldozer than allow that to happen.

A weighty envelope slid

By anon on Fri, 07/31/2015 - 12:37pm.

A weighty envelope slid discretely under the table would adjust that opposition accordingly.

If it were to be built by the

By anon on Fri, 07/31/2015 - 1:19pm.

If it were to be built by the MBTA along their existing rail bridge, would Curtatone even have the power to stop it?

Yes I agree, unfortunately

By Sville resident on Fri, 07/31/2015 - 1:34pm.

Yes I agree, unfortunately Mayor Joe seems to be vehemently opposed to this idea. It seems like a great way to have a public transit connection to the casino site without needing to transfer to a bus and also a way to encourage casino patrons to eat/shop at Assembly row.

Why? It would benefit Assembly Row businesses

By Ron Newman on Fri, 07/31/2015 - 1:39pm.

by feeding them customers from the hotel across the river.

Oh ya...You can trust Wynn

By Dan H on Fri, 07/31/2015 - 1:13pm.

You can trust him...Traffic will go smoothly thru Sullivan Square and the trains will run on-time and more often. There will be no effect to Somerville or Boston.

And Wynn had no idea that convicted Mobster Charles Lightbody would profit from the sale of that property even though Lightbody's ownership was widely reported and the owners resisted signing a promise that no secret owners would profit form the sale. He had no idea that Lightbody's "Anti-Casino Protesters" had been actively intimidating the Pro Suffolk Downs casino campaigners.

Oh ya...You can trust Wynn...He's not like the others.

Wynn would help subsidize Orange Line service once his casino is open

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